The Southern accent in Backyard Tire Fire's music can be traced to the band's North Carolina origins and its avowed reverence for the Allman Brothers, Neil Young and Tom Petty. The latter has a song named after him on the Bloomington, Illinois, trio's fourth LP, Vagabonds and Hooligans, and though fame is the subject of the song, the band's earthy alt-country is more proletariat than paparazzi. Songwriter Ed Anderson channels multiple muses from the alt-country and rock scenes, putting melody and craftsmanship at the fore of a mix of Big Star ballads and Black Crowes burners.
